Submitting for Peer Review

Hypothesis:

The longer my unemployment drags on, the more i will need my #1 cheerleader Liz to keep my self-confidence at a healthy level.

Every time i apply for a copywriting job, i find myself fighting a healthy degree of self-doubt fueled by lists of qualifications i feel i can't meet, experience requirements i don't match. Every non-response or rejection email just becomes justification for my lack of confidence.

Today Liz totally called me out during a text message conversation and scolded me for not being more positive. She pointed out that my cover letters will likely suffer if i keep this pessimism routine up, and insisted that the more i stay positive, the more energy i'll have to job search.

Amusingly, she brought up something that my friend Lisa in Oakland has reminded me of time and again--that i should be marketing myself and my writing the way i market my bands (ignoring for the moment that i have lots more confidence in IfIHadAHiFi than i have my ability to get hired to write words). "Think about it. You wrote the guy from Archers on a whim. And are you opening for them next week or not?"

Dammit, she's right.

Time to start approaching my cover letters with the cheerful whimsy of an annoyingly assertive self-promoter posting Facebook nonsense about his band on a daily basis. I think i'm going to hit my cheerleader up for pep-texts before every one i write, and which point i will likely be able to upgrade that hypothesis to the Theory of Awesome Girlfriend Advocacy (AGA).

ELLIOTT UPDATE:
Elliott awoke from his coma yesterday and ever since, has been making strides toward recovery. Updates from the Waxeater Facebook page:

"WE WALKED IN TO SEE A FRESHLY WOKEN ELL-BO AND HE IMMEDIATELY GIVES US METAL HORNS THEN FLIPS US OFF. NOTHING CAN KILL THE CHILL."

"FIRST CLEAR SENTENCE WE HEARD ELL SAY: 'WHERE'S MY BOURBON?'"

"JUST GOT A CALL FROM ELLIOTT!!! SOUNDS MICH (sic) BETTER TODAY, THOUGH HE DOESN'T REALLY REMEMBER ANYTHING PAST THE RADIO SHOW IN MPLS. BUT THEN AGAIN, YESTERDAY HE THOUGHT IT WAS APRIL SO IT'S A STEP FORWARD! #NOTHINGCANKILLTHECHILL"

And tonight, the El posted on his Facebook!

"Thank you so much for well wishin (aluminum beardo band) you are all best people in the world. I truely love you all."

From now on, whenever i get injured on stage, the phrase that pays is going to be "Where's by bourbon?"